Bow riser

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a bow riser adapted for use in forming an archery bow that is formed with a body having a number of apertures therein, each including an irregular periphery. The bow riser and periphery of each aperture are coated with a material that provides a sound dampening property to the bow riser and to reduce the sound generated when the bow riser is struck with or strikes another object. The coating also provides an uneven or irregular outer surface that provides additional three-dimensional camouflage properties to the bow riser, as well as enhancing the ability of an individual to grip the bow rest.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bows, and more specifically to a bow riser component for use in constructing a bow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In constructing bows used in archery, the bow riser is the portion of the bow that the individual grasps with his/her hand to support the bow when in use, and on which the arrow is positioned prior to firing the arrow from the bow. To enable the bow to be easily used by an individual, the riser is formed of a relatively lightweight material, such that the bow can be easily supported in the individual's hand. However, in order to withstand the stresses exerted on the riser as a result of the action of drawing the bowstring and shooting an arrow, the material utilized to form the riser must also be strong and generally rigid. Thus, the majority of bow risers are formed from lightweight metals, carbon materials, or hard plastics.

However, as a result of the riser being formed of a plastic or metal, when the riser is inadvertently struck with or against something, such as a tree, a tree stand or the hunter, among other objects, this can create a significant amount of noise. The resulting noise can easily alert an animal to the presence of the individual, which is highly detrimental when hunting.

Therefore, it is desirable to develop a bow riser which generates a minimal amount of noise when struck with or against an object, and that retains the strength and lightweight attributes of prior art bow risers.

Additionally, in order to attempt to make an individual as camouflaged as possible when hunting, prior art bow risers have been painted with various patterns in order to give the bow riser a more natural appearance to make visual detection of the bow and individual by an animal more difficult. These patterns are painted directly on the flat surfaces of the bow riser in order to break up the visible outline of the bow riser.

However, because the coatings are painted on the flat surfaces of the riser, the general outline for the bow riser is still present, and, because of the materials used to form the riser, the surfaces also reflect light that strikes the flat surfaces, thus preventing the bow riser from being fully camouflaged by the painted patterns on the risers.

Therefore, it is also desirable to develop a bow riser that includes a camouflage pattern formed in part by the bow riser itself, and in part by a coating applied to the bow riser in order to more effectively camouflage the bow riser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a primary aspect of the present invention, a bow riser is provided that is coated with a resilient material capable of reducing the noise generated when the riser is struck with or against another object. The coating material is applied to the exterior surface of the riser in any suitable manner, such as by spraying or molding the material around the bow riser. Due to the resiliency of the coating material, when the riser strikes or is struck by another object, the coating material greatly dampens, and in many situations eliminates any sound from the bow riser.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the bow riser is formed with a number of irregular openings extending completely through the bow riser. These openings operate to break up the visible outline of the bow riser, providing a camouflaged appearance to the riser when viewed from any angle.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the resilient coating applied to the exterior surface of the bow riser is formed to have an uneven outer surface. This uneven outer surface includes irregular outwardly and inwardly extending portions on the coating in order to further break up the appearance of the bow riser in a three-dimensional manner and provide enhanced camouflaging for the bow riser.

Numerous other aspects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best mode currently contemplated as practicing the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a bow riser constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially broken away side plan view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a second embodiment of the bow riser of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With regard to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, a bow riser constructed according to the present invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The bow riser 10 is adapted to be secured to a pair of curved bow ends (not shown) between which can be strung a bowstring (not shown) in order to form a complete bow (not shown) in any known manner. The bow riser 10 defines an upper portion 12, a central portion 14, and a lower portion 16, which can be formed from any suitably rigid and lightweight material such as a metal, carbon fiber, or hard plastic. The upper portion 12 and lower portion 16 extend from opposite sides of the central portion 14, which is formed to be narrower than the upper portion 12 and lower portion 16 to define a handgrip 17 for an individual to hold the riser 10, and bow, when in use. Various other well known functional members can also be secured to the various portions 12-16 of the riser 10 as needed or desired, such as a sight (not shown), counterweight (not shown), or arrow rest (not shown), among others.

Each portion 12-16 of the riser 10 also includes a number of apertures 18 of various sizes formed therein that each has an irregular periphery 20. The irregular periphery 20 for each aperture 18 breaks up the visible outline or silhouette of the bow riser 10 in order to provide a more camouflaged appearance to the bow riser 10. Further, each of the apertures 18 preferably has periphery 20 with a different shape in order to provide a further varied appearance to the bow riser 10. Also, the periphery 20 of each aperture 18 is preferably formed without any sharp corners having less than a ¼ inch radius of curvature, to provide an even more natural camouflaged appearance to the riser 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the middle portion 14, and optionally the upper portion 12 and lower portion 16 of the bow riser 10, is covered by a coating 22 formed of a resilient and deformable material that, in a preferred embodiment, extends over the entire periphery of the bow riser 10. However, in order to provide the desired sound dampening, the coating 22 can be applied over less than the entire periphery of the riser 10 and aperture 18, but must be present over at least 60% of the periphery of the entire riser 10. While any suitable resilient material can be used, the material forming the coating 22 is preferably a silicon, rubber, or polyurethane coating material that provides the sound-dampening capacity to the riser 10 when the bow formed with the riser 10 is in use.

The material used for the coating 22 also can be formed to optionally provide an enhanced gripping surface on the bow riser 10, such that an individual can more easily utilize the bow to which the riser 10 is attached. More specifically, and as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer surface 24 of the coating 22 is formed with a number of irregularly spaced, outwardly extending portions 26, and irregularly spaced, inwardly extending portions 28. These portions 26 and 28 create a high-friction surface that can be grasped by an individual utilizing the riser 10. In addition, the irregular outer surface 24 defined by the portions 26 and 28 provides a three dimensional camouflage pattern on the exterior of the riser 10. This is because the portions 26 and 28 create shadowed sections of the riser 10 which change depending upon the angle at which light strikes the portions 26 and 28, thereby providing a more natural camouflaged appearance to the riser 10.

The coating 22 can be applied to the portions 12-16 of the bow riser 10 in any suitable manner, such as by spraying the coating 22 on the riser 10, such that the coating 22 covers each portion 12-16 and the apertures 18 in each portion 12-16. However, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the coating 22 is applied to the riser by placing the riser 10 within a mold (not shown) forming a recess (not shown) complementary to the shape of the riser 10. The interior surface (not shown) of the recess within the mold is contoured in order to provide the desired irregular appearance for the outer surface 24 of the coating 22. Thus, to form the coating 22 on the riser 10, the riser 10 is placed within the recess in the mold, and the coating material is subsequently injected into the mold recess to form the coating 22 around the various portions 12-16 of the riser 10. In addition, the recess can be formed with upwardly extending sections (not shown) that conform to the shape of the various apertures 18 formed in the riser 10. These sections enable the coating 22 to flow into each aperture 18 and conform to the shape of the periphery 20 of each aperture 18, thereby forming the coating 22 evenly along the interior periphery 20 of each aperture 18.

Looking now at FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the bow riser 10 of the present invention is illustrated in which the central portion 14 of the riser 10 is formed with a circular opening 30 within which is disposed a compass 32, and a rectangular opening 34 within which is disposed a clock 36. The shape and configuration of the openings 30 and 34 and the compass 32 and clock 36 can take any suitable form or shape, but are preferably positioned within the central portion 14 of the riser 10 in a manner which allows an individual to easily view the direction readings or time displayed while maintaining the compass 32 and clock 36 in a recessed position so as not to interfere with the ability of the individual to grasp the handgrip 17 on the central portion 14. A hook 40 can also be positioned on, secured to or formed integrally with one of the portions 12-16 of the bow riser 10. The hook 40 allows an individual to easily hang the riser 10 from a tree branch or other similar structure when not in use out in the field, as opposed to having to rest the bow on the ground.

Various other embodiments of the present invention are considered within the scope of the following claims particularly point out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention. 

1. A support member for a bow comprising: a) a body adapted to be secured between a pair of curved bow arms and grasped by an individual; and b) a coating formed of a resilient material applied to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the body.
 2. The support member of claim 1 wherein the coating includes an irregular outer surface opposite the body.
 3. The support member of claim 2 wherein the body includes a central portion, an upper portion, and a lower portion and wherein the coating is applied over at least one of the central portion, the upper portion, and the lower portion.
 4. The support member of claim 3 wherein the coating is applied over each of the central portion, the upper portion, and the lower portion.
 5. The support member of claim 1 wherein the body includes a number of apertures and wherein the coating is applied to at least a portion of an interior surface of each aperture.
 6. The support member of claim 5 wherein each of the number of apertures is irregularly shaped.
 7. The support member of claim 5 wherein each of the number of apertures includes corners having a radius of curvature no less than ¼ inch.
 8. The support member of claim 1 wherein the coating is applied to at least 60% of the exterior surface of the body.
 9. The support member of claim 1 further comprising a direction indicating device disposed in the body.
 10. The support member of claim 1 further comprising a time indicating device disposed in the body.
 11. The support member of claim 1 wherein the coating is formed from a resilient material selected from the group consisting of a silicone material, a rubber material and a polyurethane material.
 12. A bow riser formed by a process comprising the steps of: a) providing a bow riser frame including a central portion, an upper portion and a lower portion, and defining an exterior surface thereon; and b) applying a coating formed of a resilient material over at least a portion of the exterior surface of the bow riser frame.
 13. The bow riser of claim 12 wherein the step of applying the coating comprises: a) placing the bow riser frame within a mold; and b) injecting the coating into the mold around at least a portion of the frame.
 14. The bow riser of claim 12 wherein the step of providing the bow riser comprises: a) providing a bow riser frame blank; and b) forming a number of apertures in the bow riser frame blank.
 15. The bow riser of claim 14 wherein the step of forming the apertures comprises forming a number of irregularly shaped apertures in a bow riser frame blank having corners with a radius of curvature no less than ¼ inch.
 16. The bow riser of claim 14 wherein the step of applying the coating comprises applying the coating at least partially within each of the number of apertures.
 17. The bow riser of claim 12 wherein the step of applying the coating comprises: a) providing a mold with an uneven molding surface; b) placing the bow riser frame within the mold; and c) injecting the resilient coating material into the mold to form an uneven exterior coating surface around the bow riser frame.
 18. The bow riser of claim 12 wherein the step of providing the bow riser frame comprises placing a direction indicating device within the bow riser frame.
 19. The bow riser of claim 12 wherein the step of providing the bow riser frame comprises placing a time-indicating device within the bow riser frame.
 20. A bow riser comprisng: a) a frame having an exterior surface with a central portion, an upper portion extending from an upper end of the central portion, and a lower portion extending from a lower end of the central portion; and b) a sound dampening coating material applied to the exterior surface of the frame. 